Apparatus for embossing graining of wood



Apnl 21, 1953 c. H. 'HENNELL APPARATUS. FOR EMBOSSING GRAINING 0F WOODFiled July 27, 1950 INVENTOR. Cwecss H H'E/vA/Ez. 1,

A7- TEA/EK Patented Apr. 21, 1953 I Fwoony Charles H. Hennell,Inglewoo'd, Calif. Application July 27, 1950, Serial N0.'176',105

-Wood utilized for, finish work on furniture or walls is intended, to bedecorative. Although a plane surface exposing th grain is often quiteacceptable, a further decorative effect has been heretofore securedbyproviding a roughened surface for the wood, as by removing some of thesofter parts around the dense areas. Thus, an

embossing of the graln isobtained that is highly.

effective forawal vering, or the like.

Fine plywood, or similar soft grained wood, is

especially adaptdito this treatment, since there are? relatively jlargintermingled exposed sur faces or softand hard character.

It is one of the objects of this invention to provide a simple andinexpensive apparatus for treating wood in this manner.

iAbrasiv action on the wood surface iseffective to wear down the softerareas without materially affecting the harder parts. Thus, wire brushesmay be used, the bristles performing the abrasion, and these bristlesalso to some extent produce a burnishing effect upon the hardersurfaces.

It is another object of this invention to provide a device of thischaracter, in which the power required is reduced.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a device of thischaracter in which the entire surface of the wood is substantiallyuniformly treated by a single manipulation.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objectswhich may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of severalembodiments of the invention. For this purpose there are shown a fewforms in the drawings accompanying and forming part of the presentspecification. These forms will now be described in detail, illustratinthe general principles of the invention but it is to be understood thatthis detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, sincethe scope of the invention is best defined by the appended claim.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a plan view of an apparatus incorporating the invention,part of the figure being broken away;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View, taken along a plane corresponding to line 22of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view, mainly pictorial, illustrating a portion of a boardprior to its being operated on by the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and'2;

Fig. 4 is a pictorial view, similar to Fig. 3, illllS-r tratinga'portion of the board after it has been treated bythe apparatus;

5 isa plan view of a modified form of the invention;

there is asupporting shelf or bracket 2.

2 Fig. 5 is a sectional view, taken, along a plane corresponding t linefi -B of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view, taken along 5 a plane'corresponding'to line 1-l, of Fig. 6;

A stationary table is provided, above which This table I is providedwith the guide cleats 3 and 4 to guide the movement of the plywood board5 along the table I.

The shelf 2 serves to support a plurality of rotary wire brushes 6 whichhave shafts I mounted in thrust bearing structures 8 supported on theshelf 2. Above the structure 8', the

shafts 1 have shaft extensions 9 to which are keyed pulleys l0; 'Asshown'most clearly in Fig. 1, the axes of these pulleys form a series ofhorizontal rows." The axes of the pulleys of adjacent rows are slightlyoffset to provide a staggered 7 arrangement ofthe brushes in thedirection of movement of the board 5.

The bristles of these brushes 6 contact the upper surface of the board5, and define circular abrasive areas that operate upon that surface.

Preferably, the shafts I are rotated at the rate of about 2,000revolutions per minute, and the board 5 is passed through the machine atthe rate of forty to sixty feet per minute.

Since succeedin rows of axes of the shafts 1 are offset horizontallyfrom the preceding rows, the circular abrasive areas overlap so that theentire surface of the board 5 is acted upon by the brushes 6.

In the present instance, there are four rows of brushes. The two upperrows are rotated by the aid of a belt ll, driven by an electric motor i2mounted on the bracket l3 fastened to the shelf 2. This belt H passesaround the pulleys in such manner that adjacent pulleys in the row aredriven in opposite directions, and the end pulleys of these rows arerotated in the same direction.

The two bottom rows are similarly driven by electric motor [4, mountedon a bracket 13, and by the aid of the belt l6 which passes around allof the pulleys in the two bottomrows.

Upon passage of the board 5 through the apparatus, the graining isembossed by the removal of the softer material, to result in a surfaceillustrated in Fig. 4.

Although four rows of wire brushes are illustrated in this form, anydesired number may be row overlap the spaces formed between the topmostrow, as viewed in Fig. 1. In this way, it is ensured that the entiresurface of the board 5 will be abraded by the brushes 6.

In the form shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the brushes 6 have axes arranged inrows as before. Each of the shafts 1 carries a bevel gear IT. The bevelgears of each row are driven respectively by motors I85 ISFZG; andi2l:Eachwof these'rmotors has a horizontal shaft 22; extendi'ngabovetheshelf 2 and supported by bearing brackets 23. '10 Each of the shafts 22is provided with a plurality? of bevel gears 24, facing inalternatelyopmsite directions and meshing respectively witlrithe'bevels. gears H. In this way, alternate shafts in a row are drivenin opposite directions; 'Iheev chm-s shafts of the rows are driven inthe-same direc-.-- tion.

A thrust and radial bearing structrue,=utilized:l for supporting theshafts 1; is shown most clearly inFig. 7. Thuswa pedestal--25.isiprovidedlfor the lowernrace 26-; The.shaftl'lpassesathrough,theslower. race and islprovide'iwitli a. shoulder 2T against iwh'ich'th'eupper. racelBL rests. Ball bearingslZ'Si are interposedlbetweentheraees; In order to hold the bearings pin-a. proper position, an uppercollar 30isIpr0videdI. Bolt's..3l,"passing through the flanges of thepedestal. 25? andcthe collar 30, serve to secure the structure: toshelfJZ.-

Theegrain oflboards such flashcards-H5; -,is haphazard. and I highly;irregular The brushes 6 sweep over the. surface of ith'e: board tincircular" areas, andattacklorwoperate upon thesofter wood. at alllangles .4 as: the board advances. from vone; brush to theonex-t;Thisflaction is ienh'ancedtby, I the different directlonsuofrrotation.of "adjacent brushesi Accordingly, no smatterr. how u irregular:thegraining may befit is assured thatthe brushes. will reach. andabraded allnofi. the soften. exposed surfaces of the boards 5, and willproduce clean, sharp steps at all portions of the edges of the hardermaterial. A much better appearance of the finished surface is therebyattained.

The inventor claims: 7

In apparatus for removing softer parts around the denser areas of a woodsurface: a plurality of rotary: wire brushes having :bristles? arrangedtoo. provide; an area of abrasion corresponding substantially to acircle, the abrasion areas beingzirespectively normal to the axes ofrotation, andthe. centers. ofithe circles falling respectivelyomtheseaxes; 'th'e'aXes being arrangedin parallelrows, and the axes ofadjacent rows being offsetitmamextent that the progress of the woodsurface iina. direction normal to the axes and past the'rows will-causethe brush areas to sweep oveivall'iofithe wood surface; means fordriving alternate brushes in a row in opposite directions; andmeansy-providingfa guide for the:movement ofathedwoodlinsaidmormalndirectionh. I

CHARLES;HM HENNELLQ.

References ,Citcdlinllle oflthis .patentl UNITED :S'ZCATES PATENTSNumber Name Date 487,198 McCut'chan" Nov. 29,- 1892' 652,581" Ayars-Jiine26jl900" 1;616j007 Smith Feb; 1; 19'27 2,080,197? Brandenburg May'11; 1937 2,080,198 Brandenburg May? 11'; 1937- 2,46'7,194 DewittApr-$12, 1949* FOREIGN BATENTIS-i Number Country: Date 7 4031976.Germany Oct: 9 1924

